Return of the Slugger
by Nate Grey
Summary: Tasuku returns to Mabase for his class reunion, only to find nothing is as he left it.


Notes: This came to me one morning in the shower.  That is all.

"A Last Love Song" actually belongs to me, I made it up just for this story, in about an hour…I did imagine Creed's lead singer doing it, though.  In fact, I made up all the lyrics, so you can blame me for all of them.

Summary: Tasuku is back from the Big Leagues, but finds that nothing in Mabase is as he left it…

Return of the Slugger

A FLCL Fanfiction by:

Nate Grey

XMAN0123@aol.com

Nandaba Tasuku waved to the older man as the taxi drove off, before taking a deep breath, running a hand through his messy hair, and starting towards the well-lit building.

His old high school hadn't changed that much, he decided after walking into the main hallway.  He was almost certain he could find the gym, where the reunion was being held, with little or no trouble at all.

It turned out he was right, but it was hardly as inspiring as he'd hoped.  Deep down in the pit of his stomach, he was actually nervous about all this, for some reason.  Perhaps he was afraid that Mabase had changed so dramatically that he wouldn't know his old friends and classmates…or that they wouldn't know him.

He shouldn't have bothered with worrying.

From the moment he hit the room, he was the life of the party.  No one could get over Tasuku, the famous baseball player who couldn't be struck out.  He never saw a reason to brag about it, though: that wasn't his style.  He let his bat do all the talking, and that had always been the wisest choice.

Thankfully, only a few people asked for autographs.  It wasn't that Tasuku didn't like giving them out, but it was nice to go somewhere and not be mugged by his fans.  Out there, he was Tasuku the World Famous.  Here, he was just Tasuku, Kinda Famous.  And that was just fine with him.

An hour later, he finally spotted her slipping in.  Part of him had been looking for her ever since he'd arrived, but he'd done his best to quiet it.  Now, though, the old feelings came back, and he had to speak to her.

She wore a tight black dress that made me regret ever leaving her behind.  Not that I wouldn't have if she hadn't worn it.  

"So, Samejima.  Want to take my picture?"

She turned around slowly, as if not trusting her own ears.  Her big brown eyes widened in surprise as they took him in.  "Sempai…" she whispered, and the hand holding her punch wavered noticeably.

"Hey, what kind of greeting is that?" he teased, flashing her a big grin.  "Don't I get a hug from my number one fan?"

Mamimi blinked, as if noticing him for the first time, and smiled uneasily.  "Of course, Ta-kun," she said, stepping into his arms awkwardly.

He inhaled the smell of her: the smell of home.  She was what he remembered about this place, what he'd left behind for Naota to guard and protect.

"So, I hear you've become famous, too?" he asked after letting her go.

She blushed.  "Ah…nowhere near your level, though."

"Oh, don't be modest.  I hear great things about your pictures.  Do you have any with you?"

She shook her head.  "No, but…I have some…back in my car."

"You'll have to show them to me later, then," Tasuku said, squeezing her elbow.

"If you want," she relented, though she didn't sound too excited about it.

* * * * *

The rest of the night went by quickly.

For Tasuku, he barely noticed how fast the time went by.

For Mamimi, she grew more anxious with every passing hour.

They found themselves walking out to her car.  It was a tiny, foreign, black speedster with hardly any miles on it.

"I barely drive at all," Mamimi confessed as she opened her door.  "The magazine flies me everywhere, really.  I just bought it to impress."

"Yourself, or someone else?" Tasuku asked.

She shrugged.  "Everyone, I suppose."  She emerged with a large, thick manila envelope and handed it to him.  "From my last shoot."

Tasuku was no cameraman, but he like what he saw.  "These are really good," he said approvingly.

"Didn't you have a girlfriend?" she asked suddenly, sounding eager and uncomfortable all at once.

"Yeah," he answered slowly, raising his head to look at her, "I did.  But…it didn't work out."

"Oh," she said, trying to sound apologetic.  "I'm sorry."

"I'm not.  Wasn't meant to be."  He went through the rest of her photos.  "Can I keep one?"

She blushed.  "You shouldn't.  They're for my records."

"Of course."  He laughed.  "I guess it would help you more if I just bought your magazine, right?"

Mamimi smiled.  "Probably.  You don't have to…"

"I want to," he insisted.  "Only, I don't really have a car," he added, rubbing the back of his head.  "I figured I'd either get a ride or just walk home."

"At night?" she asked in mild disbelief.

"Well, I was getting around to asking you to drop me off, after we stopped by the newsstand…"

She blinked.  "You…were serious about buying my magazine?"

He looked surprised.  "You thought I was lying?"

"I thought you were trying to be nice," she admitted faintly.

"I was.  But I still want to buy it.  You're really talented, you know."

"Thank you," she murmured quietly.  "Did you want to leave right now?"

"I wanted to catch Naota before he went to bed.  He'll be happier to see me that way."

Mamimi smiled.  "Let's go, then."

The newsstand was closer than he remembered, and as an afterthought, he grabbed a few adult magazines in addition to Mamimi's.  When he returned to the car, she smirked after peeking into his bag.

"What?" he asked defensively.  "They're for Dad and Grandpa."

"Sure."

"Okay, Naota, too, if he's interested," Tasuku added with a sly grin.

"Not at all for you?" she pressed.

"No way."

"Riiight.  I bet you'll hoard them when Naota's done."

"No thanks.  By the time he got done, they'd have exchanged way too many hands and be far too sticky for me."

She made a face as she drove off.  "Ew.  That's a charming image."

"Your fault for asking," he reminded her.

"I guess I'd forgotten what they were like."

"You haven't been to visit since you left?'

She shook her head.  "This is the first real vacation time I've gotten.  I haven't seen Naota in about four years.  I sent him pictures when I could, but that's about it."

"So you two hung out after I left, right?"

She glanced at him.  "We spent time together, yeah.  Why?"

"So did you?" he asked.

"Did we WHAT?" she asked, starting to get defensive.

"I know it's none of my business, I'm just curious, that's all.  You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Not only is that between Naota and me, but…I think he should be the one to tell you," she said at last.  "You're his brother, and he wouldn't lie to you."

"At least, he wouldn't have a reason to."

"Right," she agreed.

There was silence for a few minutes.

"…it'd be okay.  If you did, I mean.  It wouldn't be weird for me or anything."

"Oh?"

"Yeah.  You were never really…mine, after all."

"No.  I guess I wasn't," she said softly.

"Did you want to be?"

"I ask myself that sometimes, and I really don't know now," she replied.

* * * * *

The house was no different from what I remembered, and for that much, at least, I was glad.  Maybe there was a chance I wouldn't even have to clear anything off to get into my bed.

I wasn't sure if Mamimi would come in with me, but she answered that by getting out right after I did.  She caught up to me just as I reached the door and grabbed my arm.

"Have you written to Naota at all?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Did he tell you about Canti?"

"Who?  You mean the guy that lives with them and works in the store?"

Mamimi grinned.  "Just…try not to stare," was all she said before knocking on the door.

I'd wanted to try out my old keys, but I didn't get the chance.  A HUGE shadow walked past the door, and then it opened.

I stared.

"Canti, remember me?" Mamimi asked.

The…TV thing…whatever it was…didn't answer.  It reached out and patted her on the head, almost fondly.  Then it…LOOKED at me.  I think.

"Canti, this Tasuku.  Naota's brother?"

Some small text flashed across the screen, but it was too fast for me to read.  The next thing I knew, the TV thing was…hugging me, I guess.  I patted it on the back awkwardly, suddenly aware of how Mamimi must've felt when I did the same to her.  I made a mental note never to hug someone I hadn't seen in a long time unless they wanted me to.

For no reason at all, I noticed it was wearing Grandpa's old shop apron.

I was glad I was the first one to walk in.  That way, I had time to warn Mamimi.

Dad was asleep on the couch, and one of those hentai anime tapes was playing.  From the looks of it, it was one of those tentacle rape ones.  Thankfully, Dad's pants weren't open…though he was clearly dreaming about the tape, from the condition they were in.

Mamimi walked by quickly with her head turned.  She stopped by the steps and turned back to me.  "Go on up," she said.  "I'll talk with Canti, give you two some time alone."

"He can…talk?" I asked, nodding as the TV thing began to sweep up the living room.

She looked at it and smiled.  "We understand each other."  She practically pushed me up the steps.  "Go.  He's waiting for you."

I nodded and took the stairs two at a time.  Part of me was nervous, but most of me was excited.  I was going to see my little brother again.  I wondered what he'd grown into, out of, and if he'd missed me at all.  I'd missed him, even if I never came out and said it.

The light was on, so I knew he was still up.  I thought about knocking, then decided against it and slipped inside.

He was lying on his bed, staring up at mine.  He seemed to be deep in thought, and it was a shame I had to bring him out of it.

"Hey, Nao," I said quietly.  "You in there?"

He blinked and turned to look me, but other than that, he didn't move.

"Don't get excited or anything."

He fell off the bed.  Well, almost.  He stumbled and righted himself, sitting up on the edge of the bed.  "Nii-chan?" he whispered in disbelief.

"I guess my plan to surprise you worked out, huh?"

"Yeah.  You didn't tell me you were coming home…"

"I just came from my class reunion.  Mamimi brought me home."

He looked shocked.  "Mamimi's here?"

"Downstairs.  Talking to…y'know…the…"

"Canti," he supplied.

"What…is it, exactly?" I asked.

"A robot, basically.  Beyond that, it gets complicated.  He's a good worker."

"If you say so."  I held out my arms expectantly.  "What?  No hug?"

He rolled his eyes, but didn't complain as he stood and walked over to me.

It was a little hard to tell he'd grown.  He'd gotten a bit taller, but so had I, so my perspective hadn't really changed.  But I could tell he was older, if I really looked. I grabbed him and pulled him into a rough hug, giving him a noogie for old time's sake.  He didn't try to fight me off, just straightened his hair a bit when I let him go.

"So.  What've you been up to?" I asked.  "I wanna know everything I've missed."

He shrugged in that Naota way.  "Not much.  Got a job making deliveries."

"Yeah?  Anything else?"

He shrugged again.  "Not really."

"Oh?  What about that, huh?" I asked, pointing at the guitar in the corner.

It's hard to describe what his face went through as he looked at it.  For a moment, it was almost joy, then hurt, and finally blank.

"That's…a souvenir."

"You play?" I asked, picking it up and looking it over.

"Not that one.  It's…a memento.  Trying to keep it in good condition."

"So you got another one you play?"

He colored slightly.  "In the closet."

It took a few minutes, but I finally dug out a glossy black air guitar.  "Whoa!  This baby's high performance!  It's yours, and you're not even in a band?!"

Naota looked away.  "Yeah.  Saved up and bought it.  Me and Masashi play in clubs sometimes."

"What's the band name?" I pressed, curious now.

"The Alien Atoms."  He looked up at me, as if daring me to laugh.

I didn't.  "Nice.  So lemme hear something."

He went pale on me.  "What…?  No."

"C'mon, Nao-kun.  One song.  I'll even sweeten the deal."  I gave him the blue one and kept the black one.  "You play that one, since it's a special occasion, and I'll follow on yours."

"You can play?" he asked skeptically, slipping the strap over his head.  

"Yeah," I said defensively, somewhat insulted.  "I learned so in case I ever broke my arm playing ball, I could play guitar for food."

"Really good back-up plan," he snorted.

"Just play me a song, Nao."  I plopped down in a chair and looked at him expectantly.

He smirked and started to play something that sounded suspiciously like the theme from La Blue Girl.

"NO.  One of yours, dummy.  You've been hanging around Dad too much."

He smiled, but it faded as he glanced down at the guitar and took a deep breath.  I noticed the way his fingers touched the strings.  It was…I don't know…like he was stroking a girl or something.  I know that sounds sick, but…it was beautiful, really.  I can't describe it any better than that, honestly.

I thought he was just going to play, but all of a sudden, be began to sing.  Well, that's not a really good word for it.  He sounded a little like the lead singer from that American group, Creed.  But not really.  Anyway, he was…really good.  I didn't know the song, of course, so I just followed his lead.

Nothing ever happens here 

_No matter what you do_

_I can't eat and I can't sleep_

_And it's all because of you_

_I wore my heart on my sleeve_

_For you to reach out and  take_

_How was I to know that you'd_

_Turn away and just let it break…_

_A last love song_

_It won't last long_

_So just, jump on your vespa_

_And ride away, yeah_

_One last love song_

_It won't be too long_

_Any day I don't see your face_

_Ends up a better day_

_A last love song…_

_I'm just another broken man_

_Stuck in this place_

_I get the feeling I'm the last_

_In this human race_

_One day I will turn my back_

_Walk right outta here_

_You can't stop me, you don't want me_

_You don't love me and you won't shed a tear_

_A last love song_

_It can't last long_

_So just leave me _

_Alone with my fate_

_One last love song_

_I can't last too long_

_On a scale of one to ten_

_I don't even rate_

_I hate you, I love you_

_Want you but need you_

_But you won't come_

_It's not me you need_

_Please tell me why_

_When I look in the mirror_

_All I see is your eyes_

_Fall on my knees, beg and I plead_

_But you won't come back to me_

_So just stay away, oh please…_

_A last love song_

_Lasted too long_

_Now all I can see_

_Is__ you all over again_

_One last love song_

_I cannot go on_

_Living in this place_

_That holds your face…_

_A last love song…_

I swallowed hard, unaware that I was on the verge of tears.  "Nao-kun…you wrote that?" I asked in a small voice.

"Yeah," he muttered, unable to look at me.

"That guitar…it's from a girl, isn't it?"

"Her name's Haruko…or, that's what she told me."

"Were you two close?"

He got a thoughtful look in his eyes.  "She wanted me to think so.  Now I'm not so sure."

"She hurt you."

"…yeah.  She left.  Twice.  Never came back."

"Sorry, bro."  I started to reach over and pat his arm, but then I thought better of it.

"S'okay."  He returned the guitar to the corner.  "She slept in your bed."

I shrugged.  "Long as she didn't wet it."

He didn't meet my eyes.  "…you might wanna check it first."

I looked at him in alarm.  "Why?  She DID wet it?"

"No, but…just check it, nii-chan."

The bed was clean and dry.  At least, it LOOKED clean.  "Looks okay."

"Haruko wasn't a normal girl."

"I'm starting to get that impression, actually."

Naota smirked.  "So.  You're home."

"Looks like it.  Hey, what about that girl in your class?"

He made a face.  "Who?  Eri???"

"Yeah, her.  She was into you, wasn't she?"

Naota frowned.  "No," he said a bit too quickly for me.

"Aw, c'mon.  You telling me she NEVER made a move on you?"

"…we went out.  Once."

"Yeah, and?"

"…all I could do was think of Haruko or…"

There was a knock on the door.  I looked back to see Mamimi stick her head in.

"Hi.  Am I too early?"

"Nah.  Nao was just telling me about his Casanova escapades."  

Naota turned red.  "What?!"

"You were!  Tell me more about Eri?"

"I TOLD you, one date and it didn't work out!  We're just friends!"

"Why not?" Mamimi asked, shutting the door behind her.  "She wasn't cute enough?"

"No.  I called her the wrong name," Naota muttered.  

"Which name?" I pressed.  "Haruko?  Or…"

"THE WRONG NAME!" Naota hissed, glaring at me.

"And that name would belong to…?" Mamimi asked.

"A girl I knew…or thought I did."  He flopped down on his bed and buried his face in the pillow.  "Don't wanna talk about it anymore."

"Aw, did we upset you, Chief?" she asked, reaching over to ruffle his hair.

He batted her hand away lightly.  "Go 'way."

"I heard your song," she said quietly.

Naota opened one eye.  "So?"

"I liked it.  Canti said I could have some of your tapes."

He started to say something, and then grunted.  "Take 'em."

"Only after I've had a chance to hear them first," I interrupted firmly.

"You two don't have to keep pretending I'm some rock star," Naota muttered.

"Okay, then I'll buy the tapes," Mamimi said, winking at me.  "How much?"

He blinked.  "Huh?"

"How much?"  She was reaching into her purse now.

Naota watched her for a few seconds before pushing her purse away.  "Stop it."

"I'm serious.  How much?"

"I said stop it," he snapped.

Mamimi stared at him.  "Chief…?"

He sighed.  "Don't.  Just…I owe you for the pictures you sent, anyway."

She frowned.  "No, you don't.  Those were gifts.  You can't pay me back for them."

"I won't take your money, okay?!"  Naota turned on his side, facing the wall.  "So just put it away and take the stupid tapes!"

"Okay, I will."  She closed her purse and leaned over Naota.  I heard her give him a soft kiss somewhere on his face before she stood up, waved at me, and left.

* * * * *

It was too quiet.  Anyway, I still needed to ask him something.  

Carefully, I stuck my head over the side.  "Hey, Nao."

"Yeah?" came a somewhat groggy reply from below.

"I need to ask you about Mamimi."

There was a slight pause.

"What about her?" he asked, no longer half-asleep.

"Did you two…ever go out?"

He didn't say anything at first.  Finally: "No."

"You had to think about it?" I asked.

"Define 'going out' then," was his reply.

"Did you two ever date each other?"

There was another pause.  "You know, the weird thing is, I never took her on a date, but I'd probably be lying if I said no."

"You're gonna have to explain that one."

He sighed.  "I…did try to take her out once.  She wouldn't let me."

"How come?"

"Haruko, I guess.  Maybe you.  I'm not really sure.  Didn't ask."

"So is there a song about her?"

"Yeah, actually."

"What's it called?"

"You'll laugh."

"I won't."

"You will."

"Nao, I'm not gonna make fun of you unless it's funny.  You know that."

He sighed loudly.  "Sexy Cigarette Girl."

"…damn, you're serious."

"Shut up!"

"I'm kidding!  It's not so bad.  You could've done worse."

"Whatever."

"So how's it go?"

He took a deep breath.  "There's a girl I know, she plays it real cool, mucks around in the river and she don't go to school…"

I couldn't help it; I laughed.  "Damn.  That IS her."

"Yeah," he chuckled.

"Okay, where's the rest?"

"I dream of her when I'm bored in class, she got lips made for kissing and a nice, round-"

"NAO!"

He laughed.  "Did I mention this is an unfinished work?"

"So you mean she's never heard it?"

"Nah.  I didn't put music to it yet."

"Figures.  So does everyone you know get a song?"

"No.  I only wrote 'Girl with Glasses' because Eri saw my dirty magazine stash while she was over here."

"Why was she over here?"

"Um…she slept over one time.  Before we dated.  Haruko ran her over."

"Damn."

"No big.  Haruko ran everyone over eventually.  It was like a hobby."

"…kinda glad she's gone, then.  I like having the use of my legs."

"It wasn't so bad, if you didn't mind the headache."

"So did I get a song?"

"Sure, why not."

"Nao."

"Okay, okay.  There's one, but I only have a few lines so far."

"I'm listening."

"They call him The Slugger, he walks taller than tall, but no pitcher likes him cuz he's mean to the ball…"

"That's MY song?  What, did I make you mad when I left?"

"You're lucky I couldn't think of something to rhyme with booger-brain."

I shook my head.  "Hey, Nao."

"Yeah?"

"I missed you, little bro."

There was yet another pause.

"I missed you, too, nii-chan.  Now stop bugging me and go to sleep already."

The End?

Note on Names:

Naota: Mamimi calls him Chief, Haruko calls him Ta-kun (well, she stole it from Mamimi), Kamon calls him Nao occasionally.  I thought Tasuku should call him something not many others do, or maybe I just thought of Nao as a name for relatives only to use.

Tasuku: I've heard Mamimi call him sempai at least twice, so I went with that for their uncomfortable reunion.  I thought if she called him Ta-kun while Naota was in the room, it might get confusing.  Plus I'm not sure if she'd want Tasuku to know she used that name for Naota, too…so she just uses Chief for Naota when they're both there.

I didn't realize how long this would be.  I was hoping for 7 pages, but here I am at nearly twice that much.

Maybe it's because I have a big brother, and we used to joke around like this when we should've been sleeping that there's so much dialogue.  I have no idea if I'll continue this.  I honestly wouldn't know where to go next.  Of course, maybe that's because it's after one in the morning right now…


End file.
